EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The tropical waters around Turks and Caicos can provide quite a getaway, but Chad Greenway knows there's no place like home.
Greenway phoned into the 9 to Noon show on KFAN Monday to speak with host and Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen about returning to the Vikings for a 10th season.
Greenway told Allen his family is enjoying the Caribbean string of islands about 650 miles southeast of Miami, but he's starting each morning with a workout because returning to Winter Park in three weeks is on his mind.
"It's very nice, beautiful water, the kind of blue you only see down here, and of course in the lakes in Minnesota," Greenway said. "It's a good little spot, kind of hard to get to. The weather's been in the mid to upper 80s, and it's been nice.
"I do work out," Greenway added. "I probably wouldn't have in my younger years, but our offseason program is coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I've been training for the last six weeks for that to keep my body where it needs to be. I've been training every morning, but these slushy drinks they give you are hard to avoid down here."
Greenway became the first player drafted during the Wilf family's ownership of the Vikings when he was selected 17th overall in 2006. The South Dakota native told Allen he values that relationship and the opportunity to continue playing for Minnesota.
"The Wilfs have always told me from day one that they wanted me to be a Viking for life and wanted to figure out a way to do it," Greenway said. "I can't say there's a lot of people that have that experience in the NFL, and I can say I'm one of them."
Greenway ranked second on the team with a coaches' tally of 115 tackles, despite missing four games because of injuries in 2014. He helped Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and Defensive Coordinator George Edwards implement their new defense.
"When (Zimmer) put me in the middle on our nickel and sub package last year, and I probably had one of my better seasons of covering and playing against the run in that position," Greenway said. "He saw something and thought I could be a leader in that spot and play well when healthy and available, and I did exactly that and tried to put our people in the best position to play good defense, and when healthy, we did that.
The 32-year-old also led younger teammates on and off the field. He **recently won** theNFLPA's Byron "Whizzer" White award, which included $100,000 for him to appropriate to charity.
The former Iowa Hawkeye recently told Vikings.com how excited he is for what this year can have in store for the Vikings.
"My number one goal is really being able to finish my career a Minnesota Viking and remain loyal to the place that's been loyal to me," Greenway said. "It's been an honor, and I definitely want to go out on top, being a Minnesota Viking and winning a lot of football games this year. We do have a young crew, a young linebacking crew with a lot of talent and need some direction, and I'm definitely happy to help with that."
